Summer Session (S-Term) Secondary Frequently Asked Questions Topic: What is S-Term and how do I apply to teach? S-Term Basics Q. What is the new name for Summer Session? S-Term Q. What are the dates of S-Term? S-Term Session 1 (STS 1) Student Days: June 16 July 10 (18 days; no school July 4) S-Term Session 2 (STS 2) Student Days: July 14 August 7 (19 days) Q. What S-Term session would students attend? o Students in grades 5-7 select one session to attend (exception: Promise Neighborhood students may attend first session AND Freedom School which will run five days a week from July 14 August 22, 2014). o Students in grade 8 can attend only STS 1. o Students in grades 9-12 must attend STS 1 to be eligible to attend STS 2. Q. How many hours do students attend per day? Six (teachers work and are paid for seven). Q. What sites will S-Term be held at? o Grades 5-7 held at Central High School o Grades 8-11 held at Washington, Harding or Gordon Parks High School (current GPHS students) o Grade 12 on college and university campuses o Online classes held at AGAPE, East Side Hub at Harding, and college and university campuses Q. What is the length of classes? Grades 5-7 classes are 1 hour in length. Grades 8-12 classes are 2 hours in length. Q. How much do teachers get paid? The rate of pay for SPPS teachers currently on Steps 0-9 is $28.00 per hour; for Steps 10 and above is $30.24 per hour.
S-Term Trainings Q. When are the staff STS 1 and STS 2 training days? o Staff In-Service will be held on June 12 (limited space for Dr. Sharroky Hollie workshop; staff teaching S-Term 2 may also attend); o STS 1 Staff Prep: June 13, for 6.0 hours o STS 2 Staff Prep: July 11, for 6.0 hours Q. Will teachers be trained? o Most S-Term teaching positions, per the posted job description, require attendance at staff training prior to the June 13 set-up day. o Staff teaching S-Term 2 will attend trainings prior to the June 13 set-up day with staff that are teaching S-Term 1. o Training schedules will be published in The Bridge, posted at http://alted.spps.org, and sent to schools. Sign-up for trainings will be on PDExpress and available by April 1. Q. What trainings do teachers attend if only teaching STS 2? Teachers teaching only STS 2 attend all content and grade level specific in service trainings held prior to STS 1, plus the July 11 set-up day. Job Options for S-Term Q. Can teachers apply to teach just one S-Term? Yes, teachers can apply for STS 1, STS 2, or STS 1 and STS 2 Q. What job opportunities are available? o Grades 5-7 Teacher options: 5 Math/Economics, 5 Literacy, 6-7 Math, 6-7 Literacy, 5-7 Robotics, 5-7 Instrumental Music, 5-7 Health & Wellness, 5-7 Art, 5-7 Applied Academics (Transition to Middle School, Leadership, Why Try?), 5-7 Multilingual Learning (MLL) Reading, 5-7 MLL Math, 5-7 MLL Science o Grade 8 Teacher options: Literacy, Math, or Transition to HS, MLL (Reading & Math) o Grades 9-12 Teacher options: Credit Recovery Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, PE, Health, Science, MLL, and online teaching opportunities available
Q. Do teachers fill out separate applications for the content and grade level options noted above? No, teachers complete one application per session applying to work; additional information will be gathered via a Google Doc (middle school only). Q. Does a teacher need to have a K-12 P.E. license to teach grades 5-7 Health & Wellness during S-Term? No, a teacher licensed for 5-12, K-8, or K-12 qualifies. Q. Can teachers job share? Yes. Please see details below. Job Sharing Details Q. Do I have to job share in order to teach both STS 1 and STS 2? No. Q. Can teachers who are teaching just one session job share? No. Job sharing is an option only for teachers working both STS 1 and STS 2. Q. What might a job sharing schedule look like? Examples include: alternate weeks, specified days of the week, morning/afternoons. Q. Will SPPS s HR Department or the OAE find teachers job sharing partners? No, teachers arrange their own partnerships. Q. What is the collaborative focus for teachers job sharing? Teachers who are job sharing will focus on Culturally and Linguistically Responsive (CLR) instruction. Q. How many hours per week are teachers who are job sharing paid? Teachers determine a schedule equaling one full-time teaching position (seven hours per day) plus one additional paid hour each per week for collaboration. Q. What are the requirements for job sharing? o Attend the June 12, Dr. Sharroky Hollie workshop and utilize the text Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning (provided by the OAE).
o Submit a proposed schedule for teaching that equals one full-time teaching position and collaborating (one additional paid hour per teacher per week) to the building S-Term administrator for approval. o Each teacher will submit a 1-2 page Summary of Experience regarding the collaboration/clr teaching to the OAE office at the end of S-Term. Application Procedures Q. If teachers want to teach both STS 1 and STS 2, is an application filled out for both sessions? Yes, applicants wanting to teach both sessions complete two job applications, one for STS 1 and another for STS 2. Q. How do teachers apply? o Step One: Apply online via SPPS s HR website. o Step Two: Complete the Google form used to collect additional information (Grades 5-7 teachers only). o Procedure: Step 1. Go to www.spps.org > Careers > search jobs and apply > Current employees > log onto People Soft using your User ID and Password > Main Menu > Self Service > Recruiting Activities > Careers > the easiest way to see all postings is to click on Location. The 5-7 teacher application is noted as OAE Summer Term (S-Term) 2014 5-7 Teacher. High School Teachers: Job postings are by content area, OAE Summer Term (S-Term) 2014 (content area) Teacher. Step 2. Complete the Google form used to collect additional information (Grades 5-7 teachers only). Note! Grades 8-12 Teachers: There is not a Google form for you to complete; instead, list site preference (Washington, Harding, GPHS, Colleges & Universities) in comment section of the HR Application. Q. Does an applicant need to attach a cover letter and resume? As a current SPPS employee, attaching a cover letter and resume are optional. If you are asked to do so, you may attach a Word document noting, I am applying to be a summer session teacher.
Q. How do teachers complete the second step of the application procedure, the Google form? There will be a link on the SPPS HR website to the Google doc for 5-7 teacher applicants. Note! Grades 8-12 Teachers: There is not a Google form for you to complete. Q. What kinds of questions will be on the Google form? Questions will be related to grade level and course preference, session preference, and job sharing. Q. Do I have to complete the Google form? Yes, information gathered on this form will be used by site administrators to place teachers in positions best suited to their qualifications and preferences. For additional information about S-Term 2014, go to: http://alted.spps.org, call the Office of Alternative Education (OAE) 651-744-8020, or email (for 5-12) elizabeth.paone@spps.org, email (for online) leslie.snow@spps.org, or email (for K-4) elizabeth.putnam@spps.org. For Assistance with the application procedure, please contact SPPS s HR Department at 651-767-8200